A little Hanky-Panky in London

Published 4:00 am, Friday, August 1, 2008

Hanky Panky Cocktail in San Francisco, Calif., on July 10, 2008. Styled by Cindy Lee.Photo by Craig Lee / The Chronicle

Hanky Panky Cocktail in San Francisco, Calif., on July 10, 2008. Styled by Cindy Lee.Photo by Craig Lee / The Chronicle

Photo: Craig Lee, The Chronicle

A little Hanky-Panky in London

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I was in the United Kingdom recently around the time of the London Bar Show. It's a good time to be there. Parties tend to spring up out of nowhere, and it's not unusual to find three or four of the world's best bartenders making drinks for the crowd at someone or other's apartment. Such was the case on a certain Monday evening when 20-odd folk showed up to celebrate a birthday, make a little mayhem and sip a few cocktails in London town.

This wasn't any old apartment, mind. This place sported a bar that must have stretched for at least 20 feet, if not 30 - I can consistently pour an exact 2 ounces of liquor without the aid of a measuring device, but feet and inches seem to elude me when it comes to approximation.

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The party was not wild by any stretch of the imagination, and although copious quantities of cocktails were consumed, they were consumed at a pace conducive to a light and carefree get-together rather than a raucous, rowdy party. I did manage to get three or five dances in, though, mostly with Kay, the good wife of Peter Dorelli, legendary head bartender emeritus at London's Savoy Hotel. I use the word "legendary" in a very literal sense. Peter is revered, quite rightly, as a living legend in cocktail circles.

Peter is also one of the very nicest men you've ever met in your life, and when I'm in London I try to make it my business to spend time with him whenever the opportunity arises. During a break from the dance floor, then, I sat with Peter to discuss some important business. The Hanky Panky Cocktail seemed like an appropriate subject.

The Hanky Panky was created by Ada Coleman, a woman who had Peter's job at the Savoy before he was a twinkle in his father's eye. We're talking early 20th century here. Edwardian actor Charles Hawtrey challenged Coley - her nickname - to create a new drink for him, and when she presented the man with a mixture of gin, sweet vermouth and Fernet Branca, he reportedly exclaimed, "By Jove! That is the real hanky-panky!" the drink was thus created, and named, all in one sitting.

It was all in one sitting that I managed to relieve Peter Dorelli of a 2-pound coin, too. He didn't remember one component in the Hanky-Panky that night, and he wagered me that it wasn't Fernet Branca. Luckily for me our host had a copy of the "Savoy Cocktail Book" on hand, and there, for all to see, was the recipe, complete with said bitter Italian amaro - one of my favorite liqueurs. Peter took it in good part, we laughed, he handed over the 2 pounds, and we got back behind the bar to mix up a few Hanky-Pankys for the assembled mass.

If you make treat yourself to this drink, raise your glass, please, to Peter Dorelli. When it comes to bartenders, he's the real hanky-panky.

The Hanky-Panky Cocktail

Makes 1 cocktail

1 1/2 ounces gin

1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth

2 dashes Fernet Branca

1 orange twist, as garnish

Instructions: Fill a mixing glass two-thirds full of ice, and add gin, vermouth and Fernet Branca. Stir for approximately 30 seconds, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and add the garnish.